This Week in Anime

Do You Have Pokémon Nostalgia?

Nicky
And make it double!

To unite all viewers within our nation!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

and Nicky!

Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

Though we might be rid of the eternal twerp, the Pokémon franchise still looms large. Since its inception in 1996, Pokémon has become the single highest-grossing media property worldwide, ranking in at an estimated US$88 billion in revenue. While the humble handheld game series sprung from the simple idea of encouraging children to shove as many cute little superpowered imaginary creatures into their pockets as possible, the anime's distribution popularized it into a multimedia juggernaut. The anime chronicled Ash and Pikachu's long journey to become Pokémon Masters, but it's no fiction that they've captured the globe. Just look at this all-language version of the original dub theme!

Some of my earliest memories were sitting and watching Pokémon and Sailor Moon episodes on VHS tapes we rented from Blockbuster. My Abuelita even had one copy with a few episodes sitting on top of the player in her apartment; rest her soul. Many of those things are long gone, but our love for anime and Pokémon remains.

No kidding, this is the smirk of a rodent worth more than Mickey Mouse.

I'm in a little of the same boat. I grew up watching a lot of monsters of the pocket variety since the games and series became a bonding opportunity for me and my younger sister. I would say I fell off the main series after Diamond and Pearl. I even fell off the games for a while, yet there was always something else to return to because, beyond the games and the anime, Pokémon seems to have a special move to challenge any apathy. Even today, in the internet world, there are still lots of interesting shorts and specials banking on the series' hottest iteration and the cult of nostalgia. Even just this week, there was ANOTHER short series called Pokémon: Paldean Winds emphasizing the most recent games.

There's scientific evidence that Pokémon might have even altered the brains of people who grew up with it. According to an extensive study, Stanford's neuroscience division found more consistency in a particular brain region among adults who had played Pokémon over those who didn't. I always joked about how much of my memory must be taken up by the hundreds of unique critters spawned throughout the series that you might as well label a chunk of it "The Pokémon part of my brain," but for all I know, that might be true.

Of course, something as old as Pokémon has gone through its own evolutions at some point. After all, broadcasters used to say that the estimated kids' TV audience ages out and is replaced about every four years. It's not the only one of its contemporaries that remains. Other '90s-00s craze anime, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, DBZ, One Piece, and Sailor Moon, are still around. Yet, To Be a Pokémon Master reminded me how Pokémon is also very static, to the point of both praise and criticism. We boo that Ash remains a stupid 10-year-old, but we cheer whenever Team Rocket appears. There's much that harkens to the original series, including obscure points of continuity that young kids might have to ask their parents about. Imagine asking who this girl is and having your mom explain the time Ash accidentally flirted with a sentient jet.

Though, since Pokémon is still pretty available online and through apps, it's not like kids can't just do their homework.

It's a massive departure from the days of hoping stuff would re-air on TV.

And again, Team Rocket has never left. Though they do bring back their original motto.

I was more excited to see some of the characters' returning Pokémon than seeing the trainers. This isn't even the first time Brock has been brought back after he rejoined Ash in Hoenn. I was very down to see his Ludicolo, though.

and all of Team Rocket's Pokémon (at least for one episode).

It's not even that long ago that the first episode and the first movie were entirely re-animated, and the special at the end of the series even follows the nu-intro continuity, like the 2020 movie Secrets of the Jungle (note the hat).

Is that better or worse than Ash taking back Mr. Mime and leaving his mom to stay in the house alone without any company? Besides, many of Ash's former Pokémon seem to be doing well for themselves. Some even have jobs or families growing up in Ash's stead.

Rotating the 'mons is a better nerf than Pikachu's super move amnesia. It can suddenly forget how to break the sound barrier, but it'll remember how to use Iron Tail as a special attack.

It's okay because Pikachu naturally has six perfect IVs. That makes it so valuable for Team Rocket to want to steal.

It's a little funny that Cilan was the one with an entire episode to himself when many more beloved characters get nary more than a cameo. While seeing some friendly faces here and there is nice, I don't call this much of a send-off. You'd expect, as champion, that Ash would use this tour as a real victory lap, but little has changed; he and his crew mostly spend time camping until whatever Pokémon finds them. Only when he gets a brief encounter with his long-time rival Gary (Shigeru, after Shigeru Miyamoto in the JP) does he reflect on what it means "To Be a Master."

If you just wanted to give Ash a quick send-off, this may be fine as the last episode. However, it's more disappointing if you were expecting to see some of his old friends and rivals in action.

I'm forgiving because it's still a show for seven-year-olds. While many grew up with Pokémon, the core age group has not changed. It hasn't aged up with its audience like some other franchises. I feel a little bad about complaining about something that isn't "for me," yet it's also trying to market my age group (who have kids).

However, it's also not exactly as I remember because I recall many good moments of Pokémon, including times when the original series could be emotional and mature. I usually found that specials tended to have more of those qualities than whatever is currently airing.

Ash's tenure also isn't fair to the new generation of Pokémon fans either, as his unchanging nature may leave him unable to reflect their emotions and problems. Ash has had his journey but has been long overdue to hang up his hat. Today's Pokémon Trainers deserve proper representation for their journeys. I'm happy to let Ash explore independently and look towards the next horizon.

I know from all the specials that Pokémon is not beyond the realm of experimentation and staying relevant. It's interesting to see how side projects depart from the original, including these retro-style shorts featuring Scraggy and Mimikyu.

No matter what, we'll continue to get lots of iterations of Pokémon content, but I'm hopeful this new iteration could bring some necessary change. On the game side, Scarlet and Violet had a lot of exciting approaches to the story and gameplay. Hence, we may get something closer to what the games offer than the anime was previously capable of showing.

That's true, but it's also a chance for them to be more complex or at least work in a way that would feel resonant and memorable to the current gen, much like the original felt to us when we were kids. What made the original Pokémon anime special wasn't being part of a franchise but the stories it told. There's a good reason why most of the shots in the montage focus on the most sad or heartfelt moments.

In fact, it was when I was researching this column that I discovered the original series' writer, Takeshi Shudō, passed away in 2010. Shudō worked on the anime until 2003, including the first three movies, but passed away later due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was also the creator of Fairy Princess Minky Momo and worked on other anime series such as The Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Pokémon has had many other staff changes throughout the years, and this could also be a good opportunity for the next staff to flex and distinguish themselves.